Home Athletics Bray era ends, whose to blame, who is on deck?

Bray era ends, whose to blame, who is on deck?

By
oob
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358

Let’s continue the coaching discussion here, some good comments closed out the last thread.  Sorry this is going up late, didn’t have access to computer earlier.

The sun will come up tomorrow and, after all, baseball starts Feb 13 in Surprise, followed Feb 20 in Round Rock.

Meanwhile a football game is scheduled for Saturday night with  bye to follow.


BONUS QUESTION:
How many FCS football teams do the Beavs face this year?

358 COMMENTS

  2. 1
    9

    I mentioned Bronco Mendenhall in the last thread. Probably not an option as his buyout at USU is 3 million.

    Just no to FCS coaches. Didn’t work out at Stanford. Not working out for Nevada right now either with Choate.

    I firmly believe we’re gonna get Riley 3.0. And its just sad.

    Reply
  3. 1

    I didn’t realize Penn St fired Franklin. Thats a bummer. Would you rather coach at Penn St or Oregon State? Plus they’ll have more cash to throw at the new coach.

    Reply

    • Franklin will probably get nabbed pretty quickly, and he’s an East Coast guy. But he did get his Masters degree at Wazzu, while a TE coach there. Still, UCLA is probably a more desirable place to restart with $50m in your pocket.

      Reply
  4. 9
    1

    My thought, get rid of Barnes too….

    “I’d like to see Murthy fire Barnes, and convene Pat Casey, Scott Rueck, and some athletes to help vet new AD candidates…Steve Johnson, Gary Payton, Jade Carey, Brandin Cooks, maybe Matt Moore…Sydney Weise…Adley Rutschman, Kwan…can’t have it get too big, but need some perspectives from those that excelled and have broader experience as a result of their time at OSU too.”

    Reply
  5. 1
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    OSU loses 3*LB commit, Lance Mcgee from the state of Washington, after Bray fired. The portal is now opened for 30 days. I would imagine we will see several players decide to leave so it’s going to get much uglier now. Tough spot.to be in but we’ve seen it before.

    Reply
    • 1

      Portal rules have recently changed. Per the interwebs, “When a coach is fired, players now have a 15-day window to enter the transfer portal, but this window only begins five days after a new coach is hired or announced.” Current players aren’t going anywhere yet.

      Reply

      • Where are they going to go? Every school is full up on scholarships and nobody is going to be out beating the bushes for players until they have a firm idea of who THEY are losing to the portal in December. Best course of action if you are a player is get some good game action on tape. Don’t know if anyone of the Beavers has any current “good tape” so far this season.

        Reply
  6. 1

    Beavers are the lead in for the “best and worst” of college football:

    “The 2025 season has been a tumultuous one for the Beavers, and they suffered a 39-14 home loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 11. The defeat drops Oregon State to 0-7, making it the first team in the FBS to be eliminated from bowl eligibility and the only team in the country with seven losses.

    Not only is it the program’s worst start since 1991, but the Beavers have mostly looked lifeless all season, losing by an average of 17.9 points per game. As the Demon Deacons applied the beatdown in front of a hopeless Reser Stadium, whatever fans stuck around resorted to the infamous paper-bag-over-head.
    …
    82 of the 136 FBS teams are able to play a postseason game. Make that 135 now thanks to Oregon State. Hopefully, the Beavers can win in Week 8 when FCS Lafayette visits Corvallis.”

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/10/12/college-football-week-7-best-worst-oregon-state-kirby-smart/86656881007/

    Reply
    • 2
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      Can you imagine if the Beavs lose to Lafayette? But as we know, they have lost to FCS teams in the past. Winless, Sam Houston is on the horizon, but they play a pretty bad UTEP next Saturday, so the chances for a zero-win matchup between OSU/SHSU appear to be slim. Here’s an ironic factoid. Both the Beavs and SHSU are in the Top 15 nationally in D1AA Rugby. SHSU is somewhat of a powerhouse at the D1AA level, ranked #4.

      Reply
      • 2

        Oh, they’re going to lose. Their issues aren’t forced errors due to high level competition. They’d make the same mistakes vs Linfield. My hunch is they’ll lose by 3 scores

        Reply

        • No no no no. There’s no way they would be so stupid… actually they may be this stupid. DE is a Beav legend but he’s a bit disconnected from the coaching circles these days and has zero understanding of the NIL era. The only reason he’d be asked to be on the committee is to be a figure head but I really can’t imagine this happening

          Reply
  7. 2
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    Another beaver site has reported that Dennis Erickson will be in campus tomorrow FWIW. My guess is they will probably ask DE to be on the search and selection committee…..

    Reply
    • 3

      Isn’t DE almost 80 years old? Does he really need to come all the way to campus to sit in committee meetings?
      A Teams call would be sufficient and save some money

      Reply
  10. 1

    Nick Saban isn’t doing anything productive…. maybe hes looking for a challenge. Only kidding. We’ll get some d2 coordinator im sure.

    Reply
  13. 1
    0

    It is a certainty that Barnes will not make the best effort or best choice of replacement.
    Any type of committee only disperses responsibility for the final decision and again lets Barnes off the hook.
    Of course he should already have a short list of behind the scenes contacts and feelers out to get some idea of who might be interested in the job. But I doubt that is the case.
    We will now be treated with an ongoing charade of how much effort and discussion will be involved in the next 3 months. In the meantime, we will now be fed the company line of team focus, culture shift, guys not quitting on each other, especially if they win against Lafayette (doubtful really) and Sam Houston (possibly).

    In the end, OSU administrators ultimately aren’t interested in winning until Barnes and his minions are shown the door along with Tinkle.
    Ed Ray made the infamous “A game”speech years ago and we quickly found out it was more hollow words from out of touch administration officials.
    Perhaps in our lifetime we actually see someone leading OSU who genuinely understands the value of successful football and basketball programs for a university, and not only say the right things but set the course for the vision and demand excellence from all involved.
    I won’t hold my breath because deep down I know it will be a horrible hire of a retread middle of the road coach with no real track record of success and likely past his prime to deal with NIL of this era, they will sign him for too much, guarantee too much in salary and he will probably have some link to MR, or Barnes from 20 years ago at Pitt. Either way, OSU will be snake-bit and the fans won’t realize it until it’s too late again. Any hire will be joined to a fundraising push and Blueprint will be involved somewhere getting their cut, because this Bray story now eclipses the Blueprint stories and Barnes office can sidestep all of the heat that they were getting over Blueprint just 4 days ago. Nothing to see here…
    The issues are far deeper than Bray and a special teams coach but Barnes saw an opportunity to reset the PR narrative and have lots of planted headlines for the next 2-3 months until anything actually needs to happen. Even then I expect they will delay too long and miss a key recruiting cycle.
    Why should we care, OSU admin doesn’t as long as Barnes is lining his pockets each year and sabotaging OSU athletics regularly.

    Reply
    • 2
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      We had him. His name was F. King Alexander and we ran him off because he was head of LSU when Les Miles did something bad.

      Reply
      • 4
        1

        Are you serious?

        LSU had a mini Art Briles scandal that he helped cover up. And when LSU was investigating it, he broke a couple laws by having OSU lawyers work as lawyers for him.

        I have no idea what conspiracy nut wrote that made you create this reply. But F King Alexander made his own bed, and that’s why nobody has hired him since.

        Reply
  15. 11

    The Mariners took Game 1 from the BJays and that’s awesome. I want to see a Seattle vs Dodgers series. I was born in Seattle and am a life long Dodger fan but how cool would a west coast series be?

    Reply
  16. 10

    Only got through half the interview Clownzano did with Barnes before I couldn’t listen to it anymore. Just once I was waiting for Barnes to accept some responsibility for this dumpster fire.

    Nope.

    While Bray was a complete fail? This isn’t solely on him. He never should’ve been hired. He wasn’t handed the keys to a Ferrari like Dan Lanning. Its more like a dad handing the keys to a honda civic to his newly licensed 16 year old son. Not an LE model. Not a base model either. But a decent 100k middle of the road car. And saying son? Just take care of it and dont crash it. And then utterly surprised when he does neither.

    Scott Barnes is a terrible father.

    Fuck you Scott Barnes!

    Reply
    • 5

      And an absent father at that. Barnes gave Bray the keys then turned away to focus on his true desire. His ambition to gain recognition as the sole architect of the new PAC12 is above all else. His allegiance to OSU is merely a means to an end in the reputation crusade he has been on for 2 years. He has a lot of people duped but I’m pretty skeptical that he even cares very much for OSU sports. He has handed off his oversight duties to his assistant AD that dismissed GP as an OSU great that is no longer remembered. Barnes hasn’t said anything about Blueprint deal either. He is hands off with OSU for the time being. Firing Bray just gives him some cover for how distant he has been actually. So he goes on Clownzano and acts like the fully invested AD that the public expects. Fire Barnes too.

      Reply
  17. 7

    Who’s to blame? Everyone and everything.

    The macro economic changes of college football, blinded by a storybook hiring of a former player to lead with former players/connections coming back (hoping that it would work out like baseball and WBB). Fans for sending in $ to the NIL fund to support Bray causing the athletic dept to believe it was the best hire. Even I sent in $.

    Where to go from here? Act like who they are. A small small program. Have to be scrappy. Donation money is about to go way way down.

    Reply
  18. 13

    Well some good news is the Beavs baseball looks good again. Krieg crushed a three run home run to dead center field in the first game. Other than that offense looks like it’s built more for contact and driving the gaps which is excellent news. Kmatz struggled but part of it was a bonehead play by Kreig he underhanded to first 10 feet in the air over the pitcher covering. Then Kmatz couldn’t get out of the inning. That being said, the bullpen is gonna be sharp this year. Trey Morris is legit! Some big arms this year. Kaizer and Robles were dealing as well. Nice to see them so sharp on a cold ass day in Bend. Also really good guys on the team. My 14 year old nephew got hooked by Krieg with one of his batting gloves. All in all fun event.

    Reply
    • 3
      11

      What’s wrong with Barnes?

      He took a chance with Bray, and it didn’t work. Tinkle’s extension was a mistake made in a panic. Other than that, he’s done good work.

      Reply
      • 3
        9

        Yeah, I don’t understand the Barnes hate. He hired Smith, Which was undoubtedly a good hire even though it ended sour. He hired Canham, which has been a success. He hired Bray which was what the fan base wanted. The Tinkle extension really wasn’t a mistake. Fans were calling for that as well. I think his only real mistake was firing Bray. But I would imagine he was getting pressure from boosters. Yeah this year has sucked but Bray kept their head in it until last week. Yes Bray did a lot of things as a head coach that I think were poor. But this was his second year as an head coach under extremely difficult circumstances. I think you at least have to let him finish out the year. But I think people fail to realize the tough position Barnes is in as well.

        Reply
          • 2
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            That seems to point to Blaylock though. Which, as the buck stops here, ultimately points to Barnes. But as you say he has done a pretty good job in other aspects.

            Reply
          • 1
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            It’s only a mistake for people who understand nothing about it.

            It’s not hard to find real info on the company and what they do. But conspiracy nuts have made up a bunch of shit that isn’t real, just so they can complain about the fake shit.

            Reply
      • 3

        The Blaylock pissing on former players is sort of an issue and it seems people are upset that he wore a CBS sports cap during an interview with Canzano

        Reply
        • 10

          Blaylock was part of the financial mess at UA, part of the AD office at Miami in the booster scandal, and now has his hands in this Blueprint deal. Barnes seems to have delegated major aspects of the office to Blaylock and left the room. Now Blaylock is trying to cya and Barnes is silent.
          Barnes came for PItt and they were glad he left. I haven’t been very impressed with him since he arrived. Always seemed like a big goof schmoozing but not leading. Barnes should be automatically suspect simply because he gave Andersen an extension, and Tinkle.

          I’ve been stating that it isn’t only a Scott Barnes issue, but an institutional mindset that can’t imagine, demand or expect to ever be a consistent winning program in football or basketball. And it doesn’t seem to matter the the university to makes real efforts in that direction. So we are left with interviews with CLownzano, Blueprint, old banners on VFC, half completed stadium for 20 years and a lot of excuses or lame explanations. But keep donating to OSU fund…

          Reply
  20. 1
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    One name that hasn’t been mentioned but could be intriguing: Idaho coach Thomas Ford.

    * First year at Idaho (2-4 with close losses to Wazzu, San Jose St. and Montana)
    * RB coach at OSU last year
    * His brother runs one of the top 7v7 programs in the NW
    * Several OSU and NW ties on his coaching staff

    Definitely a risky hire but he strikes me as a guy who could become a big-time coach someday and I would have no problem if OSU was his stepping-stone job on the way to a Power 4 job.

    Reply
  21. 2

    I am seeing Alabama’s offensive coordinator being tossed around as a candidate. That seems like a long shot, but I think an offensive minded coach is the direction we should be looking.

    Reply
    • 3
      2

      Do not, I repeat do not, hire Grubb under any circumstances. He got fired after 1 season with the Seahawks for a reason.

      If you really want a clear offensive guy with a clear philosophy (and head coaching experience) I’d prefer Sacramento State coach Brennan Marion with his ‘Go Go Offense’

      Reply
      • 4

        If OSU isn’t beating 1 million by a lot for their next coach why bother?

        Just shutdown the program.

        Didn’t they offer Smith like 6 per?

        But you do bring up the most important factor, is the university as a whole willing to commit to football. I doubt it so the coaching hire probably won’t matter.

        Reply
    • 8
      2

      You aren’t even going to catch the attention of any blue blood top 25 team’s OC. They will all look at OSU as a career killer. Absolutely no shot to pull anyone currently at P4 schools with head coaching aspirations. Many of those guys know better than to start at OSU.
      Your choices are going to be pretty limited to a few categories and then it will be up to the admin to actually sell a coach on why it is a great opportunity (which may be a challenge for this admin)
      1) Brett Vigen approach-Lower level FCS coach and staff
      2) Jimbo Fisher approach-Former P4 coach who wants another shot and has lots of connections for a good/great staff (hopefully has a big buyout form previous job and won’t demand top dollar)
      3) Bryan Harsin approach- Former head coach who has nothing to lose and trying to rebuild his career (run out on a rail from Auburn after great success at Boise St)
      4) Brennan Marion approach- Role the dice on a young guy who hasn’t had much experience as a head coach but was a hot shot OC at P5 level, may come really cheap but may not have any connections for staff

      These are your general options and the only sure thing about OSU is they will go the cheap route and not really invest enough to actually make a difference. So I’ll guess they do something along option 4, and we get a repeat of Bray with another unproven young guy who may or may not work out.

      WSU was genius in hiring Leach because he embodied 3 of the 4 categories and had an offensive system that befuddled everyone for a decade. But WSU also did it while in the old PAC12 format. Now what did WSU do since the money is different? They brought in an entire staff from a successful FCS school and will be patient enough to see it through to another round of success. Meanwhile, OSU is stuck in a ridiculous cheapest route possible with disatrous results. I figure they will try to hire an OC from the MWC as their big move just to save a few bucks.
      The Beavs should scour the lower levels for those guys who are successful, proven themselves a few years and also want to move up to a bigger stage. It has to be a coach with a staff who have a proven schematic system that is different than what we have been used to for 28 years. Pro style will no longer work for OSU and someone has to say it for the good of the program.
      In addition, the NIL process, payment, scouting, decision making has to be clear and recruiting must be tied to it. OSU has to come to grips with being a farm system for younger guys who play well, and also for coaches who win. OSU will not be able to regularly win with cash. So determine a different mindset and adjust the approach to sell that as your feature of the school. You are second chance U with a much nicer stadium, embrace it or continue to spiral until it needs to be shut down.

      Reply
  25. 4

    Wasn’t Barnes one of the highest paid AD’s in the old PaC-12? As I said in a previous post, which is now missing, imo, OSU should concentrate on academics and quit trying to be what it’s not. It doesn’t have the $$$ to play with the big boys and college sports has been corrupted so why not drop the emphasis on athletics and spend any left over funds on improving the school academically.

    Reply

  28. James Madison’s defense has been really good not sure who all they’ve played and I know they’re in a bad conference but definitely would be attainable.

    Reply
  30. 4

    It’s funny how during a coaching search is when OSU football fan interest and dinations both peak. Maybe we should hold a coaching search every season?

    Reply
    • 7

      It’s also a convenient diversion from the Blueprint PR disaster from just last week for Barnes & Co.

      I’ll be skeptical and just keep pointing out the timing after no changes for 6 weeks to an obviously broken staff situation. It only requires major change when the AD and donations in big trouble.

      Reply
  31. 2
    1

    Wow, dodgers 2-1 in a 9th inning bite your nails game and a dodger win with bases loaded and two outs and Treinen gets a swinging third strike at a high heater.

    Reply

  32. “Previous defensive quality control coach Mark Criner will serve as OSU’s linebackers coach going forward, while Rod Chance and Ilaisa Tuiaki will split defensive coordinator duties, Akey said.”

    Spit DC duties? That doesn’t sound good….

    Ryan Gunderson will no longer call the plays.

    That duty belongs to Danny Langsdorf going forward, Akey said. Gunderson will continue coaching quarterbacks and contributing to a group effort in running the offense, Akey said, but his specific title was not made clear.

    Looking at the OLive articles on the last game, I see the Beavs finally put Benny on the helmet…too bad they played like shit and nobody watched the game. Not a fan of the shoulder top stripes, but otherwise I thought it looked pretty decent.

    Reply
    • 5
      1

      We’ve just begun the “adults are in the room” era of OSU football. All of Brays young cohorts are kicked to the curb and the old failed guys are now in charge. Why is Cavanaugh still coaching oline? Oline has been horrific. MM has been horrific.
      Special teams has been horrendous. Secondary atrocious. Running backs invisible. TEs nowhere to be found. Every wideout but Walker needs to look in the mirror, esp Riddicks and Wells.
      We went from worrying about players feelings over a special teams coach to a massive overhaul of coaches responsibilities n less than 2 weeks. Such a big fraud by Barnes and Akey after letting Bray say stuff only 2 weeks ago. I’m rooting for these clown coaches and AD to not win another game at OSU. Let the players move on and wish them luck.

      Reply
  33. 4
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    Lot’s of rumblings around Corvallis. Word is, Riley is highly interested in coming back and has already been put on the short list by Barnes. I guess a benefit is they wouldn’t have to pay relocation expenses as he’s already in town!

    Reply
          • 7

            Barnes just bloviates whatever is convenient for the moment. He has a list. He will do a thorough nationwide search. He needs more donations. Blah blah

            He could have a list of Saban, Urban Meyer and Mike Riley…Is it a realistic list, relative to OSU or is it his PR list?

            I too have a list…of people who still need to be fired beyond Bray, and Barnes is at the top of it.

            Reply
          • 1

            Multiple factors at play:
            Realistic expectations for a program in the situation the Beavs find themselves regarding conference realignment
            Money
            Big donors
            Fan base

            Certainly he has a list.

            Weighing competing factors will be the challenge

            Didn’t he say he usually makes the selection but will be using a search firm and small panel including 1 or 2 former beavs? Seems reasonable. And they have some time.

            Key questions to me are player buy in, fan engagement – if last week attendance was ‘bad,’ it sure ain’t going up now – cost/conract, and winning. Ultimately, winning will take care of the others

            Reply
  34. 7
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    Canzano in a just recent podcast suggested that Rolovich should be on OSU’s interview list. He is aware of the issue while Rolovich was at WSU, but thinks OSU should still give him a look. We are well past the COVID issue so maybe enough time has past that Rolovich can get a fresh start as a HC.

    I don’t remember too much about Rolovich at WSU, but I think his offense was an up tempo, high octane type offense.

    Rolo is currently a special advisor on Cal’s staff so getting back into a head coaching game might just interest him, but I wonder if his issue at WSU is too much to overcome? Kind of a risk/reward deal with Rolovich, but I wouldn’t be opposed to his style of offense.

    I also wouldn’t be disappointed if the Beavs got a HC at a school like Montana State and tried to go the Indiana route although Indiana has about a $13M NIL so that’s a big deal.

    Reply

    • Maybe as OC? Hawaii’s unusually weak scheduling in 2018-19 makes his win percentage look much less impressive. Not many wins on his resume against good teams.

      Reply
  35. 5
    1

    Does the program HAVE a GM? A real plan going forward so whomever is the coach, whomever the players are, the program wont be back at square 1 if the coach leaves?
    A program like Oregon State’s needs to have an operating philosophy right now more than an HC. Maybe Riley would be a good fit for a GM position, he certainly seems to have a) a lot of relationships with a lot of people throughout football b) an ability to analyze players c) a grasp of the undertaking.
    You bring in Riley as the GM, tell him his first job is to find his successor (as GM) and then find a coach. Maybe someone like Paul Chryst.
    You really need someone who has been through the battles. I’d love to find the next hot, young hire (Jerry Neuheisel!) but they’d be gone to a bigger job soon enough. You just need someone who may not be a personality, but can focus on the coaching and let others do the selling of the program.

    Reply

  36. College football 2025 fired coaches buyouts – These buyouts may be subject to coaches’ duty to mitigate by getting new jobs with the firing schools getting to offset the buyouts based on the new employment income.

    James Franklin, Penn State $49 million
    Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State, $15 million
    Sam Pittman, Arkansas, $9.3 million
    Brent Pry, Virginia Tech, $6.8 million
    DeShaun Foster, UCLA, $6.4 million
    Trent Bray, Oregon State, ~$4 million
    Trent Dilfer, UAB, $3 million

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/10/13/college-football-coach-buyout-how-much-schools-spending-fired-coaches-millions/86671970007/

    Jonathan Smith ought to be next soon…perhaps if they get a shellacking by Indiana in front of an empty stadium….The contrast in coaching results will be stark.

    Reply
  37. 11
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    What is the gripe behind a look at Rolovich? In the posts above, I see bullshit about some “issue” with him. You know what it was? In October of ‘21, he requested a religious exemption from the State of Washington’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for state employees and it was denied. The school fired him when he wouldn’t comply. Now, we know a lot more about the vaccine than we did in 2021, and IMO his termination was total bullshit, as it was hidden from the American people at the time that the vaccine DID NOT prevent someone from contracting Covid and DID NOT prevent transmission to another individual. In essence, all that bullshit hoisted upon us by the Biden Administration that the shot would prevent one from getting Covid and/or would prevent transmission to another individual was just that: total horseshit. Rolovich should get a look-see without reservation.

    Reply
    • 4

      Did you forget about his getting his panties in a twist about what he considered dirty recruiting by OSU?

      Some AI babble to refresh your memory…
      The “Rolovich controversy” with Oregon State University in 2018 was a recruiting dispute where then-Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich accused Oregon State of sending recruiting materials to his current players on the University of Hawaii campus. Rolovich called out Oregon State on Twitter, and Oregon State acknowledged the unintentional mailings, which resulted in an NCAA secondary violation for the Beavers. This is a separate issue from his later firing by Washington State University in 2021 for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
      The 2018 recruiting dispute
      What happened: As the head coach for the University of Hawaii, Nick Rolovich publicly accused Oregon State University of attempting to recruit his players by sending them recruiting materials to their campus.
      Rolovich’s response: He posted on Twitter about the incident, questioning the legitimacy of the recruiting, which was a violation of NCAA rules prohibiting active recruitment of players already signed to another school.
      Oregon State’s response: Oregon State admitted the mailings were unintentional and stated it was looking into the matter, citing a possible miscommunication or administrative error.
      Outcome: The NCAA ruled it a secondary violation for Oregon State, which prevented the school from recruiting the specific player who received the mailings.
      Key differences from the WSU controversy
      Universities involved: The 2018 incident involved Oregon State University and the University of Hawaii. The more prominent 2021 controversy involved Washington State University.
      Role of Rolovich: In 2018, Rolovich was the coach of the University of Hawaii. In 2021, he was the head football coach at Washington State University.
      Nature of the controversy: In 2018, the issue was a recruiting dispute over potential violations of NCAA rules. The 2021 controversy was over his termination from Washington State for failing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

      Reply
      • 2
        1

        No, I did not forget about the Hawaii-OSU incident. Rolovich was not in the wrong. If you were a head coach and one of your players was receiving mailings from another school you wouldn’t shrug it off, either. OSU’s response to the inquiry was standard deflection language and it was determined that OSU was in the wrong. Is that all you got?

        Reply
          • 4
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            Not at all. Know nothing about him other than he is from the Bay Area and has had multiple coaching postings. I just don’t think either of these two issues should in any way hinder his potential candidacy for the OSU job. Do you?

            Reply
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          No issue with Rolo related to Covid. WSU probably had the right to fire him, he had the right to say no to the vaccine. Turns out the vaccine didn’t provide much value for healthy people. It’s a non issue at this point.

          Rolo would be just OK hire in my opinion. His record at Hawaii and WSU wasn’t great. 2 winning seasons at Hawaii (7-7, 3-9, 8-6, 10-5), then went 1-3 (pandemic season) and 4-3 (fired) at WSU. He might be great but I wouldn’t say he’s a lock based on his head coaching record. The reality is it turns out with some pretty good coaches supporting him and took over a program that Mike Leach had built up. Will that be the case if OSU hires him?

          The issue with Rolo is he tends to be THE story and can be a distraction for good or bad. Not sure his win record is enough to entice an AD to hire him.

          Reply
        • 1
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          Look, Cansado probably thinks we should bring back Brenda Tracy too, and maybe that’s why the Beavs haven’t been playing for each other this season. Discuss?

          Reply
    • 2
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      I wasn’t suggesting it was my viewpoint only that he had an issue at WSU related to COVID but that it was an issue related to COVID. That’s why I also said we are well past the COVID thing and he might be worth an interview if he’s interested in a HC job.

      Reply
    • 18
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      Rolovich was fired as he dared stand up to and defy that asshole of a governor, Jay Inslee. I agree with you wholeheartedly that his firing was total bullshit.

      Reply
    • 8
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      You do understand none of us were lied to about any of that right?

      You chose propagandists that told you, you were lied too.

      No one in power ever stated it would prevent transmission just reduce the symptoms. That was common knowledge BEFORE Biden even entered office my man. Stop letting conmen lie to you.

      Reply
    • 8

      He blamed the Catholic Church for his baloney conspiracy mindset and refusing to do a simple thing to keep a multi-million dollar salary.

      You want that kind of crazy?

      Reply
  38. 9
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    Regardless of the merits of the vaccine, no institution is going to want to hire a guy who has demonstrated he won’t do what he’s told if it comes down to that.

    Reply
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    Fuck, the people who had their brains destroyed because they were asked to do very little for the good of their country are out.

    I don’t care about the vaccine but no to anyone whose line in the sand was the vaccine.

    Reply
  40. 3
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    Would anyone be ok with rehiring JS once he is canned at Mich St? It sounds like the Joe Beaver Show is somewhat jokingly saying it, but is it a case of “from the heart the mouth speaks”?
    I can’t say I’m surprised actually. Why not duplicate the same mistakes that happened with Riley? JS can play the nice guy and rake in millions for mediocrity and everyone is happy because we should always be careful what we wish for! I’m fairly disgusted by it and it would show that OSU will never get beyond Riley’s impact/limiting effect upon the school.
    Then we can be fed the same old tropes about OSU family, knowing Corvallis, understanding the school etc.
    Lucy is preparing the football.

    Reply
    • 8

      I would not be okay with that. He burned that bridge and shouldn’t even be welcome in Corvallis at a game celebrating the Fiesta Bowl team.

      That said, I also admit that rationally speaking he might be the best available hire. But still no.

      Reply
    • 2
      1

      Depends who’s available. I didn’t like the way he left. I’d prefer we don’t go back to another OSU family hire.
      Either way It’s my understanding that Smith is not long for OSU. Not sure the specific reasons.

      Reply
  41. 3
    23

    The more and more I ponder it, I think Riley is the best option going forward. He has a passion for Corvallis obviously as he grew up there and has continued to live there despite the tour of the country he has taken for coaching jobs. He’s shown he has what it takes to win consistently at OSU.

    Reply
    • 1

      You are probably right. Why fight the inevitable. Riley is Thanos to OSU football, he is inevitable and we cannot fight it.

      I wish it wasn’t the case but we will end up with Riley overseeing everything into his 90s, JS back as head coach and a whole bunch of alums to ride the coattails of this debacle. I’ll probably need to jump ship and root for Iowa St or Indiana, or Georgia Tech. But I don’t know if I can stomach anymore of the Riley sychophants who will rise up and promote him, his success or his visionary leadership for OSU.

      Reply
      • 7

        Riley has to be so far out of touch with today’s game and players, he wouldn’t even be able to talk to them. They all would be using Google translate on their iPads during team meetings.

        Reply
      • 10

        Riley is not going to be hired. Barnes has always favored the younger candidates and he has to know people are unhappy with him. He knows he needs to make a splash. Also say what you want about Riley, but he is a big reason a lot of us even care in the first place. He made Oregon State relevant for several years regardless of the fact he could never take us to the elite level.

        Reply
    • 5
      1

      No, just no-let Riley retire in peace. I thought it was pretty funny that Ryan Leaf had the sack to comment on the inadequacies of our QB, MM, on live TV last Saturday. I can’t dispute anything he pointed out, either. Say what you want about Leaf but he was a damn good QB and, like it or not, somewhat linked to Riley and OSU football – in a roundabout way, of course. Riley left OSU to be the coach for the Chargers, where Leaf had just been drafted. The owner of the Chargers knew that Riley was a QB coach and wanted him to come in and work with Leaf. We all know how that turned out and a few years later, Riley wanted his old job back after DE left. I remember yelling at the radio when it was announced they had hired Riley back. I figured that he left us pretty easily the first time, why should they hire him back?? While he did have some success the 2nd time around, I think he got complacent and wasn’t really going to ever change the offense from the traditional drop-back QB, when everywhere else was going to the RPO.

      We have the opportunity to do a real coaching search this time around and I hope we can come up with a good one. Despite that, I got a bad feeling that we are going to get screwed. I’m sure Akey, by some miracle, may win a couple of games. Barnes will probably take that as some sign that he has the locker room and determine the best choice for a coach is already here and offer him the job without having to put in any hard work.

      Reply
    • 3
      2

      Riley’s whole selling point was his pro style system, the claim he’d better get you ready for the NFL than other coaches. The goal isn’t the NFL anymore, the goal is to maximize your college pay.

      Reply
  42. 9
    2

    I have thought a lot about the coaching search and here are my 2 cents:

    We need someone young and trying to prove something. I don’t want a Riley rehire, Chryst or Mendenhall. We need forward thinking.

    We need an offensive mind. I understand defense wins championships. But offense raises interest and puts fans in the stands. This year would be way more watchable if we were putting up 30-40 a game.

    Some coordinators at larger programs may view this as career suicide, but some may see an opportunity to really raise their stock. If you turn OSU into a winner you immediately become one of the top names in the country. It’s a given.

    The best candidate would be someone who is great at punching above their weight. I love the idea of New Mexico’s coach Jason Eck. He has obvious ties to the west coast, turned lowly Idaho into a 10 win team and perennial playoff team, and could give New Mexico their first season above .500 in almost a decade.

    A coach that gets us to a better place and leaves is fine. If someone has us winning 8-9 games in 2-3 years, that’s great. Raises the profile of the position and potentially leaves it in good hands with someone from their staff.

    Reply
    • 2

      Is OSU better than New Mexico? I’m not saying they aren’t but it’s not such a clear cut answer anymore. We can’t say we are a power conference and will get players from California because they will get to stick to the Cali schools that didn’t recruit them. A coach is going to want to know what their resources are going to be with a staff pool and NIL. What can OSU come up with is the big question. A smart candidate won’t come here if the resources are pathetic. We will know where we are based on who is willing to come in for an interview and take the job.

      Reply
      • 7
        1

        Not really.

        I thank Bray for doing something he wasn’t prepared to do and probably wouldn’t do anywhere else. The assistant hires were just terrible. Gundy has no business being a coordinator… neither did KHJ.

        Reply
    • 3

      They appear to have the NY Jets model down pretty good….in house former D player as HC? Check. Whiff on free agent QB (Rodgers last year)? Check. Can’t get out of own way? Check. Winless? Check.

      Ok! All good!

      Reply
    • 1
      1

      Well, 3 out of the five are good. And I think Hauck might also be okay with NIL. I certainly expected him to do better at UNLV. But it just didn’t work. He did approach Wazzu last year for that job. I expect the same for us. I would rather have Vigen.

      This is going to depend on who responds to the search committee. The whole reason schools do that is for plausible deniability. “I have not been contacted by X-school,” will be a popular phrase among many of these coaches. The ones who respond as interested will be on our short list.

      I know people were joking earlier, but I wouldn’t be against hiring Jimbo Fisher, if he was interested. The man can recruit and already has a salary which is not offset. Corvallis is not a terrible place to spend your twilight coaching years.

      Reply
  46. 2

    Trent Walker is pretty pissed about Bray firing, disappointed in players, himself as captain.

    Says “Potential” for change, but doesn’t think much will change, as “they all think alike”…depends on player execution.

    Reply
  49. 2

    People said I was just being cynical for the sake of it when I said Bray was not head coach material and a nepotistic hire. They said the same thing when I said this was a three or 41 team… :/

    Reply
  50. 1
    1

    People said I was just being cynical for the sake of it when I said Bray was not head coach material and a nepotistic hire. They said the same thing when I said this was a 3 or 4 win team… :/

    Reply
    • 3

      You were spot on. I remember you asked: “Do you think Bray is a good head coach?”

      He’s gotten some great to really good performances from the D as D cordinator (v. USC/Caleb Williams, v. UW/Penix), but the guy admitted he didn’t have HC aspirations. That should have been a sign for the AD.

      Reply
    • 3

      I think the issue is you say that about pretty much any osu coach so yeah, you’ll be correct eventually. I guess you hold up the “Angry Beavs” moniker pretty well.

      Reply
    • 1

      Angry has been right about some things including this. That being said, you also said Smith and Canham weren’t good either and both proved you wrong. That being said you were spot on about this hire and the state of College football in general. You called the erosion early on way before.

      Reply
    • 3
      2

      I was huge on Smith from day one… go back and read it. The only coach I got wrong with Gary Andersen. If I had known he has sex with cheerleaders, loved a d2 qb in Seth Collins, and was an alcoholic, I would not have been bullish on him either. What’s funny is he probably could’ve been successful if he started McMarion.

      Reply
    • 1

      Yeah, but this team is also a few plays away from beating Houston, Fresno State, and Appalachian State and we are having a very different conversation right now. Bray was given a year and a half with a left behind school. He made some major coaching blunders and in the end his firing was certainly justified. But just saying. I think being a new coach in the situation he was thrust into, he probably needed a bit more time to see if he is really a career coordinator or actually head coach material. As far as nepotism. I disagree with that take as well. Almost all Beaver fans wanted that hire. And it was viewed positively by everyone surrounding it.

      Reply
  51. 1

    “A two-time national champion at North Dakota State, new Fresno State coach Matt Entz is 5-2 and has the Bulldogs position as one of several Mountain West teams in the hunt for the conference championship game.”

    I wonder if Fresno will be at the top of the new “PAC” next year?

    Reply
    • 2

      I wasn’t impressed with them when we played them. The beavs should’ve won that game if they were at all competent. Mountain west must suck.

      Reply

  52. The Athletic:

    UC Davis head coach Tim Plough
    Montana head coach Bobby Hauck
    Former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst
    New Mexico head coach Jason Eck
    San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo
    Cal senior offensive assistant Nick Rolovich
    Michigan State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren

    Reply
    • 3

      Was Chryst an option last time? I still say if we get the greatest coach on earth but don’t have the resources to support him, it won’t go that well. Even if he develops a few players they will leave. Gotta go all in and let fans, the new coach, players, etc know we are serious.

      Reply

    • They also mention Tosh Lupoi and Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore as possibilities.

      Also their opinion of ‘godd good a job is OSU’:
      Recent history/tradition: C
      On-field outlook: C
      Money matters: C+
      University stability: B-
      Coach pool: C+

      Overall C+

      Reply
    • 4
      2

      I’m 100% against. Riley 4.0 misadventure. I will only scoff at those who consider it a good move for the university. Riley makes the media happy but kills any expectation or hope of winning. I’d rather take another big swing and miss than return to assured mediocrity and the Barney Fife schtick.

      Reply
      • 4
        6

        We need to live in reality. We’ve had if I am correct I think 16 winning seasons in the last 50 years? This program is never going to be consistently elite, especially in the NIL era. Riley was head coach for 9 of those winning seasons. Assured mediocrity is, frankly, the Beaver way at this point. Riley is the only coach to have sustained success for a long period of time at OSU. If we can get someone like him who can consistently get us to the 7-8 win range, with the occasion 9-10 win season sprinkled in, we’ll have found something good.

        Reply
        • 8
          5

          Your perspective is backwards. Riley was the limitation for the years when OSU could’ve risen to greater heights. Sure he has multiple winning seasons but each of those years he has terrible losses that hindered better results and greater program momentum. On top of that, he has left the job 2 times already and is somehow welcomed back again and pinned after by fans with your same mentality.
          Riley is the symptom of an institutional problem. Decades ago the academics despised athletics at OSU, and then it led to the years of losing. When Riley came along he didn’t even have a wining record in his first stint, but the revisionism is strong with him, so he gets credit for a portion of DEs success. And then somehow gets a second chance when DE left. Riley 2.0 was nice for a 3 year stretch with Quizz and James but beyond that it was frustrating to no end. And we could see in real time that the game was passing him by in 2010. Why in the world would anyone argue for a Riley hire 16 years later?!?
          I don’t hold any delusions that OSU could’ve risen to be a perennially elite program. But I have seen it as a perennially mediocre embarrassing program and I’d hope you might want them to strive for more than that.

          Reply
        • 4

          Someone like Riley who can win 7-8 games would be good but that doesn’t mean it has to be Riley. Smith was that guy so it’s possible to find it without having to bring Riley back again.

          Reply
          • 6

            I like Riley, he’s a nice guy and obviouly not a terrible coach, but for every USC win there was a Sac State loss. And frankly I’m not sure he’s up for a team rebuilding – either in interest or ability

            Reply
    • 14
      2

      Put it to bed, Riley isn’t a good option for this day and age. He did well at finding hidden gems, developing them, and making a run every few years. If he finds a gem they will be gone after one season. He’s a nice guy and did some great things for the football program. He isn’t a good option now, case closed move on.

      Reply
  54. 2

    I think a better metric would be the last 30 years. Say back to Riley’s first stint in 1997. It seems to me that’s when the game started to change $$$.

    So 16 winning seasons in 30 years. Every other year or so. Riley does have alot of those winning seasons but he also coached the longest. Funny stat about Riley. He’s the winningest coach in OSU history but also the losingest coach in OSU history as well. He leads both categories by a mile.

    Overall winning percentage of coaches in that time period.

    1. DE .646 (4 seasons) (3 winning)
    2. Riley .538 (14 seasons) (8 winning)
    3. Smith .493 (6 seasons) (3 winning)

    Smith inherited a dumpster fire from Andersen and turned it around. I would give him some grace for the first season and the Covid year. Erickson walked into what Riley built. Both got hired away pretty quickly.

    Riley never really won enough to get grabbed, I mean it was 12 years in his second stint before he was hired by Nebraska and he couldn’t win there with all the advantages they have (19-19 across 3 seasons, 1 winning).

    I think we need to aim for the Smith/Erickson type hire and not rehire aging P4 guys who showed lack of success at programs with advantages. As Bill Moose once said, “Charlie Weiss couldn’t win at Notre Dame so Kansas thinks he’ll do better in Lawrence?!?”

    Reply
    • 1
      1

      I don’t see how a HC job in a new “Mtn PAC” conference is an upgrade?

      Marion at Sac State might be good to get in the candidate pool. Offensive creativity to off set personnel limitations, experience on west coast…might put some people in the seats…

      He’d probably need some experienced staffers to offset his own inexperience at HC.

      Reply
      • 2
        1

        Well Grubb is only making $1 million a year so financially it would be a very nice upgrade. He can recruit and runs a very fun and explosive offense that brings eyes to the program. Eyes and interest attract NIL.

        Reply
      • 2
        1

        You just know Bray is going to end up at oregon and be the final oiece that puts them over the top. That’s the most Beaver storyline that could be written

        Reply

        • Bray will be lucky to get a DC job in FCS. He sacked this year. Averaged around 125th out of 136 FBS teams in many defensive categories.

          Reply
  57. 2
    1

    I don’t care who they bring in bc unless they are able to drastically improve their NIL to around $10M+ on an annual basis, they will not be able to buy the talent needed to become competitive.

    I’m not sure how much football spends on NIL right now but I’m guessing in the neighborhood of $3-5M if that and it shows. Does anyone know the NIL amount for football for this year and I’m talking hard cash not the NIL cap. Thx.

    Reply

  58. The greed continues, self control? Not so much…

    B10 capital deals seeks short term infusion of cash, about $100M/school:

    “The framework of the groundbreaking deal would send a significant infusion of money (in the range of $100 million at minimum) to each of the Big Ten schools. In exchange, the league would spin off a new entity, Big Ten Enterprises, which would hold all leaguewide television rights and sponsorship contracts through 2046. Individual schools still would retain local radio and other deals.

    Shares of ownership in Big Ten Enterprises would fall to the league’s 18 schools, the conference office and the capital group — an investment fund that’s tied to the University of California pension system. The UC pension fund would receive a 10% stake in Big Ten Enterprises and would hold typical minority investor rights but no direct control, sources said. The exact equity amounts per school in Big Ten Enterprises are still being negotiated.
    …
    The deal would call for an extension of the Big Ten’s grant of rights through 2046, providing long-term stability for the conference and making both further expansion and any chance schools leave for the formation of a so-called super league unlikely.

    A conference-wide call with league presidents and athletic directors on the deal was tentatively planned for Thursday, but there might be more work to be done before then if winning Michigan and USC over is possible. No official vote has been scheduled.”

    More at

    https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/46597733/sources-usc-michigan-question-proposed-big-ten-private-capital-deal

    Reply
    • 3

      It is just a new version of the football arms race that the Beavs are always 15 years behind schedule and only reactive in the most ineffective ways. Private equity firms gaining access to school properties etc is the next domino that eventually spins off the football programs into separate companies from the schools.

      Reply
  61. 1

    Well, Sam Houston St. is going to remain winless. They look a lot like the Beavs. Blocked FG, 0-3 on 4th downs with unimaginative play calling. UTEP has pulled away in the 4th quarter.

    Reply
  62. 3

    Do any of you remember the UNLV quick that quit mid season after getting stiffed in nil money? Guess who was the stiffer? And guess who was not taken to Purdue to be offensive coordinator? The radioactive Brennan Marion. I have followed him since he was at St. Patrick/St Vincent’s in Vallejo. His background is a mixed bag of sometimes sketchy stuff.

    Reply

    • Ah the regrets. I don’t know who was telling the truth but now he’s at James Madison and has 50 yards passing on the season and is the backup.

      Reply
  63. 6
    2

    #23 Beavs men’s soccer is leading the #4 Portland Pilots 1-0 about 25 minutes into the game. Broadcast is available on ESPN+ if anyone has that stream.

    Reply
    • 3
      1

      Can Reser be reconfigured for a soccer future? Add some lodging nearby to accommodate visitors…an area for food businesses…

      Otherwise the student health center underneath the new west side is going to have a HUGE, empty waiting room….

      Reply
      • 3
        1

        The game ended in a 1-1 draw. If I heard correctly during the broadcast, the capacity for the current field is about 1400, and it was sold out last night. Men’s soccer has been really good for a while now with multiple head coaches. Is Barnes paying attention

        Reply

    • Bray will be lucky to get a DC job in FCS. He sacked this year. Averaged around 125th out of 136 FBS teams in many defensive categories.

      Reply
    • 1

      Barnes with the “big fish” thinking:

      “This will be the first time we’ll have been on the top of the conference in resources. When you think about this opening, it’s the best job in the Pac-12. Facilities, resources, fan support all combine to make this an excellent job.”

      Barnes said the new coach will command a salary that will be “top of the Pac-12.” Sounds big-time, but I think the current standard would be Boise State’s Spencer Danielson, who is on a five-year, $11-million deal. That’s not much more than Bray was making.”

      Reply
    • 6

      Thanks for posting. I didn’t realize Barnes interviewed Chryst after Smith left.

      Seems like Chryst HC with Bray at DC would have been a better play if possible, especially when Bray never had HC aspirations.

      I also didn’t fully appreciate Chryst’s run at Wisconsin….

      Reply
    • 1

      Can’t argue with many of the things Eggers wrote. But it’s beginning to feel like Barnes needs to do more to temper big donor’s emotional decision making. Not sure who is paying for the outside search firm, donors? Yes, NIL is part of it, but there are G5 programs with offenses that adapt the scheme to their players and score points. Probably same can be said of defenses. Don’t think you need to hire a current head coach; if the leadership/charisma/extroversion is evident in interviews that should be enough to elevate a successful OC or DC. Warm to the Chryst idea, as long as he’s ready to hire a successful, innovative, adaptive OC. That would bring some stability, even if he had to hire a new OC every 2-3 years. Maybe he’d be willing to hire Bray back as a DC at some point? Cool on Orgeron.

      Reply
      • 4

        I agree with Eggers when he says,
        Paying an outside search firm — I am guessing the cost will be in the high six figures — to identify candidates for a coaching position is a waste of money. Barnes said he will also form “an internal committee made up of staff” to work with the search company reps. I am all for that.

        Reply
      • 1

        While at OSU, Paul Chryst had a year (2003) in which he had a 4,000 yard QB (Anderson), a 1,500 yard rusher (Stephen Jackson) and two 1,000 yard receivers (Hass and Newson). He was a very good OC and has a good football mind. He did quite well at Wisconsin until he was fired and replaced by Luke Fickell, who is now on the hot seat. Paul Chryst would be a good hire.

        Reply
  65. 1
    1

    Pettibonehead!

    “The last time Oregon State started 0-7 was Jerry Pettibone’s first season in 1990. That team carried an 0-10 record into the season finale before knocking off Oregon 14-3 at Autzen Stadium, after which Beaver underclassmen carried the seniors off the field. The players had practiced it all through the week leading up to the Civil War game.”

    Reply

    • I was at that Civil War game. The rumors were Pettibone ignored the last three opponents and spent a month of practices game planning against the Ducks.

      Reply
  66. 7
    1

    Thank you for finally acknowledging the awesome job I did as your head coach. I’ll be sending you an autographed signed photo of that exciting moment in OSU history.
    The photo is free except for a small shipping and handling fee of $100.00. I do take personal checks.

    Reply
      • 3
        1

        Intriguing for sure. But also, kind of feels like New Mexico hiring Bob Davie.

        I’m mean wasn’t very good as the head guy at Ole Miss. Had 1 good season at LSU by LSU standards. Most guys can win 9 games at LSU just by showing up.

        Was AHC at USC when they were awesome but is he ready to coach at a school that isn’t name brand and has very little NIL $? Are any of his schemes innovative, is he outstanding at evaluating talent or a master game planner?

        Reply
        • 1

          Good questions there MB. If they hire him we’d need to know who his staff is. Is Joe Brady coming to run the offense? That’s a joke but Ed road his coattails for offense. Maybe he’s the guy to run the program and then hire competent guys.

          Reply
    • 6
      2

      Thats a Dennis Ericksin like hire. Forner National Champ, questionable ethics, would bring instant pulse to a program that badly needs it. I’d be down for it.

      Reply
      • 1

        Makes me wonder if this hire is already set in stone and they’re just waiting out the mandatory 2 week period?
        I was curious why a donor would step in to pay several million to cover Bray’s buyout, unless they already had a successor plan in place.
        Or are we to assume the donor just blindly trusts Barnes to get the hire right without any consultation and was willing to be the catalyst?

        Reply
        • 1

          Well I think its Donors, plural. Also schools have a escrow type account with donors funds for special projects and needs. They could have taken it out of that and just said the buyout was done solely with donations. The info released on Sunday about donors paying it wouldn’t be a lie. Be great to finalize any hire soon to get a jump on recruitment, hiring staff and retaining players.

          Reply
  70. 1

    Signetti just signed an 8 year deal with Indy for $92M or ~$11.8M per year making him m 3rd highest paid HC in CFB. Wow, after completing ng from So Dakota State just two years ago.

    Reply
  72. 1

    I was at that Civil War game. The rumors were Pettibone ignored the last three opponents and spent a month of practices game planning against the Ducks.

    Reply
  73. 5

    Was Orgeren an interim HC at USC, and beat OSU in Corvallis? Prepped his team on the “chain saw,” they were (appropriately) mocking it when they were winning?

    Reply
  74. 4

    Reality is Ogeron is probably best of the re-treads. OSU isn’t a p5/4 job anymore. The other options are big sky and MWC coaches. Maybe a P4 coordinator but the good ones make about the same as Barnes said he’ll pay.

    I don’t see any no brainer D2/ MWC/ Big sky coaches. But would love to have one.

    Reply
    • 1
      1

      That’s why I like Grubb. Only makes a million a year and obviously prefers the west coast. I think Coach O would bring more eyes to the program but Grubb might have more upside if he can recruit and hire a complimentary staff. Lie you said we are no longer a Power 4 program so options might not be as plentiful as people think.

      Reply
  76. 4
    2

    No on Coach O. Great recruiter and good to have in program but not as HC. Any idiot on this site could have won a NC with Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson. That doesn’t take a creative offense. Next HC needs to be an executive, energetic, game manager, hire good coordinators and evaluate and develop talent.

    Guys like Casey and Rueck.

    I like the Montana State guy.

    Reply
    • 2

      You mention Casey and Rueck and I like them both, as HC’s and (as far as I can tell) as people.

      Anyone see a basic difference between those two? Meaning, Casey said “I don’t become friends with SA’s till they graduate; whereas Rueck seems much more of a friend to his team members. Am I wrong? Is it just the difference between coaching gals vs guy?

      Anyway, I’d like to see them have strong voices on the choice of a new HC for football. As said above, no real sense in paying a search firm. IMHO.

      Reply
      • 3

        I don’t think it has anything to do with girls vs guys, both Rueck and Casey are authentic to who they are. That is what athletes respond to.

        Reply

      • I agree with you OBB, I just used Casey and Rueck as they are winners, developed a culture and program from nothing, knew their system and developed kids. When they built their program, they had no resources and no history of post season. In beginning no 4 and 5 star recruits.

        Reply
      • 1

        I’d rather have OSU contract with Nvidia to build an exclusive AI head coach search engine, than a search firm. Who cares if it spits out Clayton Tune as the OC at UTSA, just double check it.

        Reply
      • 4
        1

        Barnes is lurking and down voting negative comments about him. Lol
        It would be a Scott Barnes move to hire Ed O as if it was a master stroke of genius to get a 65 year old out of work HC who has zero cache in the new era of NIL.

        I’m not against Ed O but I’m against some presumed backroom agreement by Barnes that allows him to just go through the motions of actually seeking the best and most desirable candidate that is a program builder and proven winner.
        Former HCs:
        Ed O isn’t really either.
        Jim Mora- meh
        Jimbo- if he is cheap maybe
        Harsin- maybe
        J Franklin- worth a call, offer him redemption
        Pitman- probably not a good fit
        Chryst- no, game is past him

        Current HCs:
        Mendenhall- not an alum again
        Eck- sure if he wants it
        Plough- sure if he wants it
        Vigen- sure if he wants it

        Current OC/DC
        Herman- offer him a chance
        Grubb- no HC exp, pass
        J Neuheisel- no HC exp, pass
        Stein- no shot Nike lets him go

        Others:
        Jay Harbaugh- hard no, Riley connection
        Riley- no
        Langsdorf- no

        Reply
        • 6

          I am not for Jay Harbaugh because I don’t think he is ready to be a HC but eliminating someone from the Jim/John Harbaugh tree because they are also of the Riley tree seems like a bad policy,

          Reply
        • 2
          1

          “I’m against some presumed backroom agreement by Barnes that allows him to just go through the motions of actually seeking the best and most desirable candidate that is a program builder and proven winner.”

          How do they expect to build a competitive program and team through non-competitive processes…it kills me. Ideally you want multiple, highly qualified candidates and a challenging decision because they all appear to be “good” decisions. Not just a facade process to nab someone who is going to provide “instant exposure.”

          Ostensibly exposure is just one criteria…

          Reply
          • 8

            Yea and for me, any of the standard phrases like “an alum” “knows OSU” “gets Corvallis culture “ all disqualifying tropes as key reasons for making the next hire.
            Winners are winners, find a guy with a history of being a winner and a high achiever staff surrounding him and the lame factors of Corvallis, alum, culture all take care of themselves.

            Reply
          • 2

            But eliminating a someone simply because those phrased might apply to them isn’t smart either.

            If the right guy happens to have connections to OSU so be it. Unless you’re arguing Smith was a bad hire because I’d argue Smith fit what you say you want but also had connections which is fine.

            Agree that a connection shouldn’t be required or even provide bonus but it shouldn’t disqualify someone either.

            Reply
          • 1

            Yeah, not sure you’re going to get the best people if your sales pitch is “well, we don’t have much money, and it’ll probably be hard to recruit here, we don’t even have a hooters, or an airport.”

            I will say, Barnes was pretty positive in his interview with clownzano when discussing that, feeling like OSU has a lot to offer prospective coaches.

            Reply
          • 12
            1

            Every time I hear “you can’t recruit to Corvallis”, I want to projectile vomit on the purpose who says that. They need to travel around to other places like Columbia MO, Waco TX, Bloomington IN. Or how about Manhattan KS. I can go on and on with more dreadful places. There just using that as an excuse for their laziness or incompetitence.

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          • 2
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            Manhattan isn’t all that bad. There’s not anything to do, in terms of outdoor activities, like here in the valley. But it’s a nice town.

            The others, agreed. Throw in College Station. I’ve had food poisoning three times out of the ten or so times I’ve been there. Place sucks eggs.

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  79. 3
    1

    Did you all Wilmer recommended the Beavs consider Rolovich. Coming from Wilmer automatically disqualifies him as a candidate!

    Reply

  80. I’m going to toss my hat in the ring as I’m pretty sure I can get the Beavs to an 0-7 start next year and I’ll do it on the cheap at $1.5M. I’m looking for unqualified assistants that can get the least out of the players and down coach them. No need for game planning or watching hours of video as just want the team to go out and have a good time and show what they’re not made of. All of the aforementioned are my stronger qualities as I don’t really have any obvious weaknesses. Are you with.me Angry Beavs fans?

    Reply

  81. Riley Williams out for season…needed surgery fora appendix, then torn labrum…will seek redshirt and two more years of eligibility

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    • 1

      250k workers comp policy. How many years is an NIL deal for when we hear a number? Is it always a four year thing but it’s prorated or is he getting 250k per year?? I’d spend that on linemen.

      Reply
    • 1
      1

      Anyone think some of these guys are playing too heavy? Riley Williams is listed at 273. He was 240 at Miami. Hankerson is listed at 5’8” 206, which is fine, but he doesn’t look quick this season. Ivy came out of juco at 180 and is listed at 213.

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  82. 9
    1

    Just a reminder that Barnes chose to fire Bray on the weekend after the Blueprint PR gambit fell flat and Blaylock was floundering in one interview after another. Barnes never commented on it but was quick to fire Bray and change the subject for the media and fans alike.

    I don’t trust Barnes at all and Blaylock is even worse. Bray was the convenient fall guy for them to sidestep the heat from fans that was beginning to build at their doorstep. So now we just mover on and talk about the new coach media circus for about 2 months and Blueprint will be forgotten and fully entrenched into the OSU sports universe without any further discussion, or so it seems the plan is.

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    • 3
      5

      Barnes did comment on it, and your conspiracy bullshit about Blueprint is simply conspiracy bullshit.

      Stop it.
      This narrative is more than pathetic. It makes our fans look like idiots.

      Reply
      • 5
        1

        Hello Jack. Your know it all posts make our fans look like idiots. Stop trolling like you are the authority on all things. Just be a dude on the blog and stop presenting like you are Barnes attack dog…I can ask the questions and make some guesses as much as the next guy so let it go. I don’t need your approval to write on a blog. Besides, I wasn’t the first to post about it so don’t lay it at my feet.
        If you aren’t at least suspicious about Blaylock and his explanations, then you are the one who looks like the idiot, not the people asking valid questions about a 50% take on NIL funding for Blueprint. The AD office and Blueprint narrative was already falling apart last weekend.

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        • 4
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          You’re not wrong. This athletic department is a complete shitshow. Scott Barnes and his right hand man are nothing but pompous know it assholes. It wont matter who the new coach is as long as these chuckle fucks are in charge.

          Sound familiar Jack???

          Reply
  83. 2

    “Louisville stunned No. 2 Miami 24-21 on Friday night for its first-ever road win over an AP top-five opponent. The Cardinals jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held on through a tense ending to secure a result that will reverberate through the ACC and all of college football.

    Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC) suffered under the weight of numerous blunders, including four Carson Beck interceptions…”

    Bwahahaha!

    Reply
  84. 5

    Ohtani having a night , threw 6 innings gave up 1 hit and struck out 10. Also has hit 3 home runs including a 470 footer that almost went out of dodgers stadium

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  85. 2

    White/bkack/white unis tomorrow night, with cursive “Beavers” on the helmet…see if they can keep the losing streak alive in those helmets.

    P.S. Akey is hoping to earn the HC job full time….yikes.

    Reply
      • 3

        I want to say something about both Akeys, before today’s game. I am deeply suspicious of them both. Robb was hired to support the head coach, and Daniel was hired to support the special teams coach. Only two coaches got fired, and yeah, guess which ones. How did their hired support system work out?

        And now that the dust has cleared, look . . . what do you know, there are the Akeys, filling the positions they were supposed to help others keep. Sounds more than a bit grifter-ish to me. No way I would trust them, no matter how the final games go.

        Reply

          • I read it, because I give time and history to make a judgment. It is baloney, because neither will be on the staff next year.

            Getting all worked up over this is absolutely pathetic.

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  86. 1

    Huh. UNC’a GM went to Saudi Arabia to see if they’d be willing to invest in UNC football….their public investment fund is estimated to be $1T, and they invest in multiple sports…crazier and crazier….

    Reply
    • 1

      It CAN be worse – NC loses to CAL in dramatic fashion.

      “It was a play that perfectly encapsulated the Bill Belichick experience at North Carolina.

      For the first time in more than a month, UNC wasn’t getting blown out, but had a chance to win. In the red zone and down by three points in the fourth quarter against California on Friday night, quarterback Gio Lopez found Nathan Leacock streaking across the middle of the field.

      The touchdown and late lead were right there. All Leacock had to do was cross the goal line…

      Cal defender Brent Austin punched the ball out. It rolled into the end zone and Austin recovered it. The Golden Bears took possession and held it until it left the Tar Heels with six seconds left and a failed lateral-filled final play.
      …
      A win literally slipped out of UNC’s hands. Call it a rude welcome to Pac-12 — sorry, ACC after dark. Apologies to any Tar Heel fan who stayed up til after 2 a.m. ET to watch that.

      Now after an incredibly hyped debut, the Tar Heels are 2-4, have lost three straight games and are 0-4 against Power Four teams. That first ACC win will have to wait.”

      Reply
  88. 4
    5

    Hire John Gruden….Just do it. It will change the culture, change the team and change the entire PAC 12. We go from nowhere to the center of the map and the publicity and recruiting center of gravity will change…also $$$ to NIL will multiply

    Reply
    • 1

      I don’t think OSU is high enough profile for him. Last I said I don’t think I’d hire James Franklin but have changed my mind. He’s in the same position financially with the buyout, that he doesn’t need $8-10MM annually and there would be virtually no pressure on him and his staff as the majority of us would be tickled to death winning 8-10 games every year.

      Reply

      • Sorry my fingers are slower than my brain. Yeah hard to believe, but meant Franklin in the position financially as a Jimbo Fisher.

        Reply
  89. 1

    Watching Duke vs Georgia Tech, I can see why Duke sent Murphy packing. Their QB Darian Mensah is way more mobile, quicker on his reads and his release, and has a strong arm and doesn’t tend to fall away from the throw the way Murphy does. And, perhaps most important, is that he seems to have “heart.”. Something that Murphy doesn’t seem to have.

    Reply
    • 1

      Mensah is from San Luis Obispo. Not a big recruit, his choice came down to Tulane and Idaho State – in other words, the Beavs could have had him. Spent a couple of seasons at Tulane before replacing Murphy at Duke (reportedly for $8 Million, two years) – in other words, the Beavs could not have afforded to keep him.

      Reply
  91. 2

    Probably time for a new game thread, yes?

    For a comment of substance, all I hope is to have a coach with some personality…

    Tired of the bumbling, awkward introverts running the ship.

    Reply
  92. 1

    Wow! Might be another coach out of work – Brian Kelley of LSU. How long are they going to put up with him. Clark Lea at Vandy has done an outstanding job. Sure helps when you have a potential Heisman winner at QB in Pavia.

    Reply
  93. 5
    1

    I think that what is a bit depressing for Duck fans is this: Indiana, who has been pretty much a mediocre team for years, hires a guy that by his 2nd year has put together a staff and team that was able to travel over 2,000 miles and push around a team with a much more established staff and an NIL fund that is 2nd to none in their own stadium.

    Reply
  94. 1
    2

    We really need a coach that can come in and build this team from the bottom up. Someone that likes a challenge. Someone who will pull up his big boy pants . . why does that sound familiar?

    Reply
  98. 1

    MBB news. FWIW, Beavs defeated Cal and St. Mary’s in scrimmages this week. Shot 14-27 from three-point land against Cal. Malcolm Christie had impressive lines in both games.

    Reply

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